Father Figure
by Phoenixfire
Summary: Joe reveals the origins of Matt's protective nature over TK, in a huge flashback to the real world.


Writing intro's is probably my favorite part. I can be rude, offensive, mean, and state my plans for world domination, all while slipping top secret plans right under the Government's nose. (KGB? NSA? Black helicopters? Stay tuned.) 

Nope, I don't own any rights to Digimon: Digital Monsters, or whatever they call it in Japanese. Don't own rights, characters, plot twists, names, or even stock to any of Digimon's subsidiaries (Something I probably should have done). 

In this story, Matt and Joe are JUST FRIENDS. You know, with Digimon nobody seems to believe that people can be JUST FRIENDS without sleeping with each other on the side. Sorry, all but one of my stories like that I destroyed. Horribly. Oh well, better luck next time. 

* * *

Father Figure

"Come with me TK." I hear the familiar phrase. I turn toward Matt, TK, and Tai to see their newest pointless argument. 

"TK was only trying to help." Tai says flatly. 

"This is stuff that big kids need to do TK." Matt says smiling at the smaller boy, as he tousles his hair. Matt swivels around to face Tai, standing protectively in front of his younger brother. He glares at our leader, willing to take or inflict pain to protect the smaller version of himself. 

"Fine! Whatever! I'm going to bed." Tai says exasperated. He turns toward the fire and goes back fuming. Matt kneels down and hugs his brother leaning his head on the small child who is gripping his clothes. My heart bleeds at this. _Tai doesn't know. He wasn't there. Remember Matt— I know why you rebel. I know why you protect TK. I even know why your mom left your dad. I'm your best friend, and I was there when it all began..._ I lean my head against a tree as I reminisce. _That was a dark day. Biting and clear in my mind, the things I saw. Vivid. And almost... surreal..._

* * *

Matt slid the door open to his apartment quietly looking out for danger. When he saw only TK, he motioned for me to follow him into the apartment. I stepped in and was amazed at how beautiful the place was. Huge bay windows overlooked the city. There were beautiful carpets and paintings covering the floor and walls. _So this is where my best friend resides. Pretty ritzy. I still wish that my mom could have stayed in town. I'd rather be at home then taking up residence at a friend's house, even if he is my best friend._

"Hi Matt!" A small figure said. He was resting on the couch and drinking a small glass of juice. The boy was blond like his brother but had an air of a child's innocense about him. When the figure turned and saw me he gave a small laugh. " Hi Joe! Matt said you would be coming. It's nice to see you again." 

"Hey TK, it's cool to see you again, too!" I grinned at the small boy. _So this is the life that Matt protects. It's so normal. Yet...yet there's something off about this place, like there's a-- a darkness that hangs over it. Why it there a sense of warning, a sense of failure here?_

"Dinner will be ready in a few minutes boys!" A female voice sang out like bells. I turned toward the direction of the voice to see a beautiful blond woman with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. "So you're Joe! We've heard so much about you! Well, don't stand there, come in, come in! I'd shake your hand, but it's all floury." The perky lady smiled at us, offering a doughy hand anyway as she ushered us in. 

"Hi Mom, don't mind us. We're going to, uh, study in my room." Matt picked up his bookbag and headed toward his room. I quickly followed, wondering what was going on. 

Matt's room was small like most. It had a small computer on a desk, some shelves two dressers and bunk beds. TK's stuff was stashed all over while Matt's was stacked neatly around in various places. I glanced at one of the dressers and tried not to laugh. It was obviously Matt's because it had a huge mirror, tons of hair gels, four different hair brushes, a hair dryer and other hair 'necessities.' "Vain, aren't we?" I said grinning 

"You really shouldn't have come. You could be in danger here," he said ignoring my comment. 

"I... don't know what you mean. Your family seems nice." 

"Yeah. Seems." 

I glanced around looking for a place to sit. I finally spotted a chair covered in stuff. As Matt cleared it off, I heard him sigh, and he looked at his feet with a sad, pained look. 

"Matt?" I asked reluctantly. 

"There's something you need to know Joe." Matt said tiredly. I looked at him nervously. 

"...Oh?" I asked slowly looking at my friend. His eyes were still trained at the floor. I gave him a big smile when his eyes hit mine, in a pathetic effort to get him to open up. He squeezed his eyes shut and looked back at the floor. "Matt, you can tell me anything, I won't tell anyone, I promise. Remember when you told me you liked that new Mimi girl at school? I still haven't told anyone else." I gave him a huge goofy smile. He sighed once again. This was getting irritating. 

"It's easer if I show you." Matt said, his eyes on the ground once again, but his left hand went up to his right sleeve, which extended to just above his elbow. 

"...What's wrong?..." I asked, getting a sick feeling that this might be why this house had a darkness that hangs over it. Matt let a tear run down his cheek as he lifted up the sleeve. I gasped at what I saw. 

"Matt what... what happened?" I asked my voice hushed with awe. On Matt's arm was a large purple mark about the size of a deck of cards. It was puffy and dark, and covered up most of the muscle on his upper arm. Upon hearing my gasp Matt let go of the sleeve. It dropped down his arm with a whisper of apology. 

He looked at me as if to say _I knew you wouldn't understand._ His eyes watered up again like he was thinking it was a mistake to show me. "Nothing." He said quickly. "I bumped into a wall." 

"You can't expect me to believe that." I stated as I lifted the sleeve again, exposing the bruise. It was extremely dark, even for a bruise that size. Matt would have had to have been running into a "wall" very fast and repeatedly. This was no bump. This was a recent punch. 

"Matt you can tell me who did this to you. I'm your best friend." I put my hand on his shoulder to try to console the tears. He really didn't want to tell me. 

"You wouldn't understand," he said. My eyes traced the round purple mark. 

"I might not but I can fake it well." I said. "If you don't tell someone then you'll never overcome whoever's doing this to you." _I know it's your father. I've seen a lot at our apartment complex. People say they hear shouting and crying from inside your rooms. It's your father who beats you. He seems like such a nice guy... I guess looks can be deceiving. Maybe it's not him... God, don't let it be him... you and TK don't need this..._

Matt's eyes watered. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up..." 

"Please Matt, tell me. Don't do this to yourself. It'll only continue if you don't stop it. Who does this to you? Please Matt, I want to help you." 

"Nothing happened. I'm just a klutz. Please don't do this to me, it's none of your business." 

"I'm making this my business. You're my best friend, and I would take a punch for you if I had to. This isn't going to go away. What happened?" I kept hounding him for information in hopes he would understand the seriousness of this situation. I wanted him to know I would do anything in my power to help him if he'd only let me. 

I stared into his eyes begging him to tell me. His eyes were watering up so much I don't know if he could see me. _He doesn't want me to see him cry..._ When he eventually blinked four teardrops exited his eyes in unison and he bowed his head in defeat. "It's my father," he said. 

_I knew it! How dare that guy! His kid for God's sake! His own kid!_ I thought angerly. I concealed all emotion as I whispered "What happened that he um.. hit you?" 

"He was trying to hurt TK, because of something or other. I jumped in the way to protect him. He's my brother, I would kill myself for him you know..." Matt's voice was growing softer. He let his feet wander out from underneath him as he leaned against the bunkbeds. He now sat on the blue carpeted floor and covered his face with his hands. I sat with him as he cried for himself and for his beloved brother. _He loves TK so much that he would be willing to endanger himself to protect him. I don't know if I'd have that kind of dedication._ "My brother..." he whispered. "I don't want too loose my brother..." 

I took me a moment to figure out what this meant. When it struck me, I became sick to my stomach. _If he told some adult then they could be moved into protective custody. He and his brother would be spit up. All they have is each other, and their mom..._ "Shh, it's ok. Everything's going to be all right, you'll see." I lied to him as I rubbed his back like my mother used to do for me when I was younger. It seemed to help because his cries lessened. _The mere thought of him losing his brother makes the toughest kid in school cry. How ironic that he sits here crying while I, the biggest wuss in school, his best friend, consoles him._

His body stopped shaking and his sobs eventually impeded so I retracted my hand. _Why wait till now to spring this on me? And why me? I'm his friend but... Matt's so strong. He never has to rely on anyone. ...I guess that that's not true, everyone needs a shoulder to cry on now and again._ I patted his back for good measure, and looked at him hard. His eyes were red and swollen and his hair came down in clumps in front of his eyes. 

"Thank... you.. for always being there, Joe..." He whispered as he began to stand. 

"Not a problem." I murmured as I also stood. 

"Dinner!" Matt's mom's voice rang through the apartment. I glanced at Matt. 

"He'll be home now," was the only thing he said. 

"Come then." I said, my voice hushed. 

Matt opened the door and I found myself in the livingroom again. The rich tapestry was overwhelming. _So much beauty for a place that hold so much pain._ A man stood in the kitchen next to Matt's mom. He was tall and well built with an air of confidence about him. He turned to us and spoke. His voice boomed out and echoed around us. I felt Matt edge closer to me as if I could somehow protect him. 

"So, boys how was school?" 

"Good sir." Matt answers his eyes trained on the floor and his voice soft. _Matt? Shy? This is too weird. And what's with the 'sir'? Not even a scared Matt would back down from authority like this. This has just gone from strange to surreal._ We sat at a small table that crammed all of us together. Matt and I sat on one side of a small table, with TK next to Matt, Matt's mom next to me and Matt's dad on the other side of the table. They ate in silence, which I found strange. I later learned that every time someone did talk there was usually an argument. 

Other then seeing his father, dinner was pointless. I don't remember eating much, I just remember thinking... _This is the man that makes my best friend cringe... that gave Matt that mark on his arm... I don't know what I would do if it was me in my friend's place..._

* * *

It was late when Matt and I retired to bed. After deciding that I would just sleep on the couch in the livingroom Matt decided that he would sleep on the livingroom floor. We were talking half the night away when I saw something out of the corner of my eye. Matt's father was standing in the hallway talking to TK. 

"Matt, look." I whispered to him. His head swung around just in time to see them. Matt's father's voice was getting rather loud as he talked to the small figure. _He's drunk,_ I realized. When TK started crying Matt was up in a hurry. I don't know why I followed him but I reached the hallway moments after the taller boy did. I looked at them just in time to realize that Matt was stepping into a dangerous position in front of TK. 

"Don't touch him!" Matt's voice was piercing as it echoed down the corridor. 

"Stay out of this boy!" His father said. "You're worthless, and you wouldn't survive ten minutes in the real world without my protection." His father took a drunken swing at TK. Matt jumped in front of his brother and the fist hit him. Matt sprawled back into the wall as TK started screaming because his brother was hurt. The father shoved TK aside, making the small boy hit the floor with a fantastic boom. I saw the mother shouting for her husband to stop. He told her to shut up as he advanced toward Matt. 

I don't know why I did what I did next, or even how I knew what was going to happen, all I remember was thinking that Matt's father was going to take a swing at my friend. The father reached down and grabbed the collar of Matt's shirt. I turned and saw him cringing, expecting a blow. Then, faster then I was conscious of I shouted and threw myself in front of Matt. I saw a small dark shape coming toward me. Still, I kept my post in front of Matt. A terrific blow struck me and I felt a ring starting to cut into my face. The blow knocked me so hard that I crashed into Matt, landing in his lap. My head felt like it was spinning and I had a tremendous headache. I lifted my head slightly to look at my friend. He held me around my chest and he had started crying as he looked at me. I felt a warm sensation where I had been struck and saw something red starting to cover my right eye. Then, as I tried to tell Matt that I was all right, my world became black. 

* * *

The next time I awoke I was in a hospital bed surrounded by my mom, my dad and a dark figure in the shadows that I couldn't quite recognize. My mom stayed with me a good long while telling me, among other things, that she was glad I was all right and that I was never to sleep over anyone's house again. I learned that I had gotten six stitches from the ring that had cut my eyebrow. I smiled at my mother as she spoke but I kept my eyes on the figure in the shadows. Eventually my parents left and I was alone with the figure. He closed the door quietly and stepped into the light. 

"Matt..." 

"Thank you Joe. You saved me. You don't know it but you saved TK, too." Matt said. I saw a large purple mark encasing his right eye. I reached up and squeezed his hand. 

"What... what will become... of you...?" 

"My mom is getting a divorce from my dad. He won't hurt us anymore." 

"Good for... that's good." 

"But there's a down side." 

"Matt, please don't tell me your leaving..." 

"I'm sorry, Joe, but if a restraining order is going to work then I have to." Matt's eyes tear up at this. I had always been his closest friend, and he was one of my only friends. 

"But..." 

"I'm sorry Joe, but I have to leave now, I'm not really supposed to be here. ...We'll meet again, I promise," he said as he quickly left. _Goodbye, Matt. We'll meet again... I can sense it..._

* * *

It was so long ago and so far away that Tai, Izzy, Sora, and Mimi don't know. The question. **Why.** _But I know. They don't remember, none of them were there. Remember Matt— I know why you rebel. I know why you protect TK. I even know why your mom left your dad. I'm your best friend, and I was there when it all began... That was a dark day. Biting and clear in my mind, the things I saw. Vivid. And almost... surreal...._

I stand here in the Digiworld a million miles from home, thinking of sleep but wide awake. I am here with my rebellious best friend, my faithful digimon, and a story older then time: Matt sits with his brother and tries to forget, and I stand here, trying to remember. 


End file.
